Remix is web-hosted application for planning public transit systems. It automates the process of route and schedule scenario testing, letting planners draw routes onto a map and immediately see a potential schedule and fleet requirements. This can exponentially decrease the time costs of experimenting with different scenarios. As of October 2016, 36 transit agencies in California and over 150 across the world are using Remix. These agencies range in size from just a couple fleet vehicles to well over a thousand.

How it Works

Remix makes it easy to draw a line and see schedule and cost information. Source: Remix

The process of route planning has typically required paper maps and work in Excel or other software packages. Remix consolidates data and analytical tools for route planning into a web interface. When an agency signs up with Remix, the company will work with them to integrate the system into the agency’s workflow.

Setting up the existing transit network

Remix employees import route info into the software using GTFS data and provide employee training. Remix identifies service spans and approximate frequencies -- average parameters describing the service abstracted from the exact imported schedule.

Variables such as operating cost per hour or mile (with costs for Saturday, peak) can be set for the agency.

Creating scenarios / editing the network

After onboarding is complete, the agency can start using Remix. New "scenarios" can be created. Each scenario can contain a different route network. Existing routes can be edited and new routes can be added. Span, frequency, and runtime can be adjusted for each route. Route alignments and stops are edited on a map. By default, Remix assumes that stops are placed every 0.25 miles. This default can be adjusted. Stops can also be deliberately placed on the map.

Measures including the following update as the route is drawn:

Number of buses

Operating cost per year

Route miles

Population within 0.25 mile of stops

Jobs within 0.25 mile of stops

Layers

In order to better understand the impact of a route, various information layers such as population density and poverty rate can be overlaid onto the map. This helps ensure that the system is reaching the people and places it needs to, and any changes are compliant with Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In addition, the Remix staff can create custom layers using GIS data provided by the agency. For example, one agency in Australia created a shapefile for projected population growth to better plan for their future service area.

When using Jane, the white circles show how far a rider can travel in a specific timeframe. Source: Remix

Jane

Transit systems aren’t lines on maps; they are ways for people to get around a city. Remix includes a rider surrogate isochrone tool called Jane. You can put Jane anywhere on the map, select a time of day, and see how far she could travel in 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. This is helpful both for intra-agency planning and public outreach.

Title VI Engine

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents against discrimination in the provision of government services, including public transportation[1]. A transit agency must do a Title VI analysis of any route changes to ensure that they do not disproportionately impact minority populations. This is incredibly important, but it does make it difficult for agencies to engage in major system change. Remix takes the complicated process of Title Vi analysis and simplifies it to a one-click automated function.

Output formats

Remix can output transit network scenarios, indicators, and visualizations in these formats:

Shapefile

Excel (describing indicators)

GTFS - Frequency-based, describing service parameters rather than an operationally-ready schedule

Embeddable map for the web (with a mechanism to leave comments)

Printable view

Applications

The most obvious application for Remix is in the internal planning process. Planners can use the tool to quickly model scenarios and plan anything from a simple detour on a single route to an entirely new transit system.

Remix can be used as an outreach tool. In public meetings, it can allow a presenter to give a live demonstration of possible changes to a system. The real-time cost adjustments give a clear representation of how feasible a plan is. Most people have trouble visualizing how the average citizen can interact with a transit system, so Jane has a large potential to clarify the utility of a system.

Costs

The cost for Remix depends on the scale of the agency. Contact Remix sales for a quote.

Case Studies

Scenario Planning in Torrance, CA - With a very small team, Torrance Transit was unable to make significant changes to its service. Scenario planning could be a months-long process. Remix cut this down to just a few days. Using the platform, the agency was able to model the effects of consolidating service on one of its bus lines and figured out it could do so without harming the community. Once implemented, the change will save Torrance Transit over half a million dollars per year[2].

Collaboration in Greater Seattle, WA - Planning doesn’t just involve one agency; any project is going to have multiple stakeholders. When King County Metro was working on a 25-year plan to add 2.5 million service hours to the network, it was looking at two years of consensus-building. Using Jane to clearly demonstrate the way routes interact, the planning team cut the feedback time on iterations in half and finalized the plan in just 9 months, with 2 or 3 fewer staff than would have been necessary otherwise[3].

Planning for a Transit Tax in Indianapolis, IN - In November 2016, residents in central Indiana voted on a quarter-cent income tax hike to let the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization increase bus service in two counties. Remix has let the MPO clearly demonstrate where the money would go. Working entirely in-house, the organization planned 7 scenarios for 7 funding levels that they could take to public meetings. The referendum passed[4].

Additional Reading

Remix maintains a blog with additional case studies, webinars, and information about product updates. The blog also has videos from Remix's annual conferences, where planners talk about the way they use the tool at their agencies.